North Africa and the Middle East have witnessed a string of uprisings and attempted revolutions but will the unrest threaten any of sub-Saharan Africa's long-lasting autocratic leaders? Take a look at our guide to the countries facing civil upheaval

Journalists were prevented by "security personnel" from taking pictures at Zambia's Livingstone airport of a plane containing Djibouti's President Ismail Guelleh. The security men tried to grab a camera from Edward Mulenga, a bureau chief with The Times of Zambia, but he persuaded them he was merely doing his job. (Via AllAfrica.com)

Chemicals that killed and injured dock workers when unloaded in the African port of Djibouti, plus 2,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, are to be shipped back to Britain at the taxpayers' expense, Michael Meacher said yesterday.

Your headline of April 5, "Race to save 16m from starvation, EU faces obstacles of war as it steps up aid to Africa," is misleading in that it implies that the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is impeding shipment of aid. But port access is not the issue - there is access through the ports of Djibouti and potentially through Berbera in Somalia, which are, in any case, closest to the area hit hardest by the drought. The drought and food shortages are caused by the failure of the rains, sporadic heavy rains, climactic change, and the consequent crop failures. The problem we face is that the aid is simply not there.